Around two dozen farmers from neighbouring Nuh and Rewari were taken into preventive custody by Gurugram police on Tuesday while they were on their way to the Gurugram-Kapashera border to join the ongoing protest against the three controversial farm laws.
Mewat Vikas Sabha president Salamudeen Meo said scores of farmers from Nuh and Rewari gathered near IMT Sohna and Gandhi Park in the morning to go to Singhu border to support the farmers’ agitation, but they later decided to hold a dharna at Delhi-Haryana border near Kapashera.
“However, the Gurugram Police detained around two dozen of us and took us to Sohna Sadar police station. Our vehicles were also left behind,” said Mr. Meo.
One of the detainees, Talim Hussain, a lawyer, claimed that he informed a Punjab and Haryana High Court judge during a hearing in a case through videoconference while being in the detention that he was arguing the matter from the police station, sitting on the floor and was in illegal detention.
Judge seeks affidavit
“The judge took a serious view of the matter and sought an affidavit from the Gurugram Police Commissioner in this regard,” claimed Mr. Hussain. He accused the police of high-handedness and misbehaviour.
Swaraj India Haryana president Rajiv Godara said detention of the farmers was not just “condemnable” but also “undemocratic”. He said around 400 farmers assembled in Nuh to leave for Delhi but were stopped twice. They continued to march ahead but 50 prominent protesters were taken into preventive custody at Sohna.
Swaraj India’s national president Yogendra Yadav said Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal, on one hand, claimed that the farmers from the State were not part of the protest, but took them into detention on the other hand. Gurugram Police spokesperson Subhash Boken confirmed that two dozen farmers were taken into preventive custody. He denied allegations of high-handedness and misbehaviour by the police.
